i'm with you, every step of the way
by cpt-stvngrntrgrs
Summary: Natasha thought that she and Steve would be best friends forever (and maybe something more in the future) after he protected her that one day on first grade. But, high school came and Steve suddenly became one of those who he used to protect her from. SteveNat high school au
1. Chapter 1

As a little kid, Natasha would always be the target of the bullies at her school. Her parents are both Russian who met in the United States so they made sure that their only daughter's first language would be Russian. Speaking English with a heavy Russian accent, the mean kids made it their duty to make her life a living hell.

The kids at the school playground would "play" with her but ultimately end up just making fun of her. They'd tell her to play hide-n-seek and she would count, but by the time she finished counting, her playmates aren't just hiding, they're _gone. _Most of the time, Natasha would shrug it out. She would think that they got called back to the room or just so good at hiding, she can't find them. Natasha had a good heart and always made sure to see the good in people. So she doesn't cry and just resumes playing by herself whenever this happens.

However, one time, it got physical. She was on the monkey bars and her chubby and short arms can't quite get her across at first. She only pouted when she jumped off and kept on trying, with her sometimes being able to reach the next bar, sometimes she not. One of the kids, Tony Stark, whose parents own the preschool along with many other businesses, decides it would be funny to grab Natasha's legs as she tries to make her way across. This surprised Natasha and her grip at the bar slipped, resulting in her face-planting on the ground.

She doesn't cry at first, blinking as she sat up, but when a crowd of little kids, undoubtedly pulled in by Tony, started to laugh at her, that's when the waterworks began. She felt her lower lip wobble and her eyes tear up, and she looked down, seeing blood seep out of her knees. She folded her knees and cuddled it close to her chest, looking down and hiding her face on the arms she folded over her scars. She cried because of the pain and because she's being directly _laughed at _, which has never happened before.

"Knock it off, Tony," she heard a stern but low voice rise over the laughter of kids. She peeked and saw Steve Rogers, her neighbor, staring Tony down, who is so much bigger than him.

"Oh yeah? What are you gonna do about it, Rogers?" Tony taunted back, raising his chest to tower over Steve. Tony is taller and has more weight into him, as compared to Steve who's shorter and so much skinnier.

"I'm gonna tell Uncle Howard that you got your nanny to quit and then he'll take _all _your toys away," Steve replied with a smirk, eyes shimmering with a serious glint.

Tony rolled his eyes but took a small gulp, admitting defeat. With a wave of his hand, all his bullying partners went off to their own business, leaving Steve and Natasha alone on the middle of the playground.

Natasha, albeit listening as to what is happening, didn't look up and was still crying. She felt a warm hand touch her shoulder and nervously peeked out, her eyes still clouded over from crying.

"Hey, are you okay?" Steve asked, his voice very soft compared to the tone he gave Tony. Natasha, afraid to speak, just shook her head and took her arms off her knees, which are covered in blood. Even her arms and shirt's sleeves got some on them. Steve gasped and blinked - he doesn't like the sight of blood - but stood up and offered her a hand.

Natasha took his hand and shakily got up, her balance unstable due to her wobbly and very painful knees. Steve took notice of this and held her in place, helping her walk to the school clinic, where they cleaned the wound. When the nurse asked how she got it, Steve was about to tell the truth, but Natasha looked at him and shook her head. She said she fell from the monkey bars by losing her grip, which isn't exactly a lie nor a truth.

Natasha was told to stay at the clinic while she waits for her parents to come pick her up - she can't stay at school because her knees were to painful to walk on for a day - she called Steve to her side.

"Thank you," she said carefully alliterating each syllable, shy to let her accent slip out. She leaned over and pressed a kiss on his right cheek to show how grateful she is.

Steve squeaked out a, "You're welcome," face red, before running out to the playground.

After that, Steve brought it upon himself to always accompany Natasha in at school. Sure, he and Tony are still friends because their families are friends, but he gets irritated at him at school. That guy needs to be nicer to other people. Besides, Steve likes Natasha's company more than Tony's anyways. At first, she was quiet, reluctant to really converse, but she got used to his presence and opened up to him more. They would play hopscotch together, Steve would help Natasha cross the monkey bars by holding on to her and making sure she doesn't get hurt, and Natasha always makes Steve draw images on her notebooks. Steve loves drawings and he likes it even more when he does it with Natasha and the suggestions she gives him.

As the years went by, so did their little group. What used to be the two of them now consists of Natasha's cousins, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, as well as James Barnes, or Bucky, as they affectionately call him, joined their group. Bucky used to hang out with Tony until the fourth grade, where the latter accused him of stealing and resulted with Bucky being suspended for a week. Of course, Tony lied because he was mad at Bucky for accidentally breaking his favorite Iron Man action figure. That resulted to just the five of them forming and always playing at recess and eating lunch together, inseparable as they are also all in the same classes throughout elementary school.

Everyday after school, Steve would walk home with Natasha as their house are just across from each other. They would do homework, play, draw, and just hangout together until their parents decide that it's too late and they have to go to bed. Sometimes, on weekends, the five friends would all gather together at Natasha's house where her parents would set up a tent on their backyard and they'd have a mini camping/sleepover party.

Sadly, as sixth grade came to an end and so does elementary school, their little group diminished. Wanda and Pietro are going to a different middle school because they moved about an hour away, two towns over. Bucky also said his goodbyes as his parents got assigned a job at another state. The last day of school, promotion, was tearful for the five of them as Natasha clutched Wanda tightly and cried.

"Why are you getting so sad, we're family, we're always gonna see each other," Wanda said, her voice playful but also laced with sadness. She's blinking the tears out of her eyes, her smile wavering. She wants to be strong for Natasha because she knows that she's her cousin's only girl friend, and she won't have her as close anymore.

"I know, but I want you to be always here," Natasha muttered, her voice muffled by being pressed at Wanda's shoulder, and heavy with tears. They eventually broke off and Natasha decided to hug Bucky next.

Bucky smiled warmly at her and enveloped her in a big hug. "I'm gonna miss you too, sweetcheeks." He whispered at her, seemingly replying to something she said, and his eyes closed for a second, his head over hers. They could tell Bucky was close to losing it and he's only holding it in. Pulling away, Natasha chuckled through her tears and flattened Bucky's shirt again, which was a bit crumpled.

Bucky hugged Wanda as well and gave Pietro a pat in the back. When he reached Steve, he threw his arms over the guy's shoulders. Steve, although already 12 years old, was still a bit small for his age. Bucky squeezed his Steve's shoulder where his hand was resting on, giving him a small smile. Steve smiled back, his face sad, and the tips of his ears red. Bucky has been his friend for as long as he can remember. They took their first baby steps together, got their first haircut together, pretty much everything together ever since they were babies.

"Til the end of the line, pal, alright?" Bucky said, his voice cracking towards the end.

Steve nodded and avoided his eyes. "Til the end of the line," he whispered back, blinking and letting a tear fall.

Steve and Natasha walked home together in silence that day, their hands tightly intertwined. Steve walked Natasha up to her front porch and stopped before they got inside. Natasha had to get ready because she's leaving for Russia that night, just for the summer, and she still has to pack. She wordlessly hugged Steve tight and he did the same.

"Don't worry, I'll get you souvenirs," Natasha joked as they pulled away, her eyes now clear and bright, but her face looks tired.

"You better," Steve replied, both knowing it was an empty threat. He leaned and kissed her forehead lightly, pulling away quick and the next thing Natasha knew, he was across and inside his house in no time.

-..-

The summer passed by quickly and the next thing they know, 7th grade has started. Natasha felt bad that she missed Steve's 13th birthday over the summer for the first time in 5 years so she got him a platinum watch. There's a star in the middle of it, a symbol of him being born on the Fourth of July. it's been a running joke between them two, she being Russian, and him being this "all-American boy". She dashed off to his house the minute they arrived at her house to give it to him. Steve gave her a huge smile and she was shocked at the sight of him.

Steve grew at least 3 inches over the summer, so he is now a bit taller than him. He's still skinny, but she has no doubts that it will change sooner or later.

"Thanks Nat, I loved it," he said, opening the box and she can see his eyes twinkling in happiness. Steve is the most sincere person she knows and also the most brutally honest. He doesn't have to wear it to show that he loved it, she trusts his word. On the back of the watch, there's a small engraving of a symbol of the black widow spider. Two years ago, they went to a field trip at a zoo and Natasha decided that her favorite arachnid would be the black widow because of its badass-ness. She grinned and waved him goodbye, she has to go and unpack, but with the promises of catching up later.

For the first time since the two became friends, they didn't have any classes together in 7th grade and since the school has two different lunch times, they didn't get to see each other then too. This made the two incredibly sad at first, but they have no choice but to deal with it. They would still walk home together before and after school though, and try to hangout as much as they can.

However, as the school year progressed, the two became busier and busier. Natasha became a part of their school dance team and Steve joined the football team to help him overcome his asthma. They both have practices after school so this even more diminished their time together.

7th grade ended and the two just drifted even more apart. Natasha met new friends, Maria and Pepper, who are both in her dance team. Steve became close to the football team and started hanging out with them. He was with the jocks: Thor, Clint, Sam, and surprisingly, Tony. This cycled continued on even as they started high school, where an old friend came back.


	2. Chapter 2

Freshman year came as a breeze for both Natasha and Steve, with only a few complications here and there. Personally, Natasha would rather forget all about that year, and she really is trying to. Steve had a great year: started out as part of a freshman football team and was promoted to varsity starting the next year. Things stayed the same for them: still not talking, still not friends.

Natasha was getting ready for her first day of sophomore year upstairs on her room when she heard voices coming from the dining room. Her parents didn't usually eat breakfast together, and it sounds like they have… guests? She stopped in her tracks and looked at the clock. 7:30. Too early for any guests. She shrugged it off and thought it must be some neighbor chatting with her parents. Once done getting ready, she ran down the stairs to get breakfast and leave for school.

When she got to the dining room, what she saw made her stop and drop her bags.

Sitting with her parents is none other than Bucky, except he looks their age: taller and more built, but still has his boyish smile. All heads turned to her and Bucky gave her his biggest grin and he stood up, opening his arms. Natasha squealed and ran into Bucky, hugging him tight. He laughed and hugged her back just as tight before gently pulling her away at arm's length to look at her.

"Wow, Tasha, you look so different! So pretty, but still so cute!" He said, laughing and pinching her cheeks. She grinned and playfully swatted his hands away, just as they used to do when they were kids.

"What are you doing here? You never told me you're coming back." She asked, both of them sitting down to eat their breakfast. Natasha never really lost contact with Bucky. There were times they'd talk to each other on the phone, or write to each other back and forth. But he never mentioned this to her.

"Yeah, well, my parents decided to move back to get their old job back," Bucky rolled his eyes and passed her a plate of eggs and proceeded to take the yolk out; he knows she doesn't like it. She smiled and took the egg from the plate to eat it. "And they promised me that we are not moving ever again until I finish high school." He said, taking a bite of his toast and looking at her and her parents with a smile.

"That's great!" Natasha exclaimed, and quickly finished the rest of her breakfast. "Come on Buck, hurry up, we have to be there early to get our schedules!" She said excitedly, standing up to get her things. Bucky finished eating and thanked her parents, standing up to follow Natasha. Before they left, Natasha's parents wanted to take a picture of the both of them and they posed in front of the camera, smiling brightly.

The two caught up as much as they can on their way to school. Natasha knows Bucky has been dying to ask about Steve because he would talk about something related to him.

"Um, remember when I told you I don't talk to Steve anymore?" Natasha quietly asked before they reached the school. Bucky nodded and she continued talking. "Well, I still don't. I don't know… but Steve is.. He's different now," she said, her voice sounding sad.

"That punk hasn't called me back or replied to any of my letters either," Bucky muttered and shook his head, throwing his arm over her shoulders. "But let's forget about him, let's just enjoy high school for now."

The two went ahead to get their schedules. Luckily, they have homeroom and a couple of classes together. The locker they chose are right next to each other so they can always meet one another at school. When they got to homeroom, Natasha's friends, Pepper and Maria, ran to her and the three hugged. They all squealed happily with being all together at homeroom before the two noticed Bucky.

"Oh? Nat, who's your friend?" Pepper asked, pointing at Bucky.

"That's right! Bucky, these are my two girl friends, Pepper," she said, pointing at a girl with a blonde-ish orange her. Pepper smiled and waved at him. "And this is Maria," she pointed to the dark-haired girl next to Pepper. She grinned and waved at him as well. "Bucky's been my friend since third grade but he moved away, and he just came back now!" Natasha finished and beamed.

"Wait isn't your childhood frie-" Maria's question was abruptly cut by Pepper who elbowed her. Natasha shrugged and pretended she didn't hear the real question. Bucky raised an eyebrow at them.

The four took a seat towards the back of the room, with Maria and Pepper in front of Natasha and Bucky so that the four could work together when necessary. They were chatting and comparing their classes when a group of noisy guys walked in. All four looked at the door, where Steve, Tony, Thor, and Clint just walked in. Natasha and Bucky glanced at each other at the sight of Steve.

Steve looked, looked _different_. Not just the "oh, it's high school of course you'd look different" different but entirely new. Gone is their friend who used to be lanky, and he's been replaced by someone who looks 6 feet tall and has at least a couple pounds of muscle on him. He caught sight of the two of them and his eyes grew fractionally wide, but he turned his head to talk to his friends instead.

Maria and Pepper turned in their seat to look at Natasha and Bucky. The two girls mouthed "OH. MY. GOD." at Natasha, who just rolled her eyes. She doesn't care what Steve looks like. She's still secretly hurt that he seemed to just suddenly forget about her. One look at Bucky and it looks like he feels the same. Throughout homeroom, Natasha feels that someone is always glancing at her, and she looked up just enough to see Steve turned his head back after looking at her. She scoffed and Bucky gave her a questioning look. She shook her head and he resumed to writing on his notebook.

Homeroom ended and Bucky walked with Natasha to their next class: English. As they were walking down the hallway, Natasha kept her head down and Bucky frowned when he noticed this, but didn't ask her. He looked around and noticed some people were looking at Natasha and laughing amongst themselves or with their friends. His frown further deepened and pulled Natasha close to him subtly, just so she won't hear what the people were talking about.

Behind them, Steve was glaring as he was walking alongside his friends. He didn't like how Bucky just went straight to Natasha without even coming to _him_ first. He knows he should reach out but he doesn't like their closeness. Something about it leaves his stomach in knots. Tony sees his line of vision and laughs.

"Huh, who would have thought Romanoff would stay. After the stunt she did last year I'm pretty sure she'd be gone by now." He commented, earning laughs and high fives from the rest of the group. Steve didn't answer and just continued to glare at him, which effectively shut Tony and the guys up.

Even though Steve aren't friends with Natasha anymore, he still feels a need to defend her. For some reason he can't think of, she's always been made fun or laughed at. Ever since they stopped hanging out it's like everyone made her a target. Whenever he hears gossips or jokes about her, he never participates and tries his best to shut it down. He feels like he at least owes her to do so.

_(Or so he thought that's the _only_ reason.)_


	3. Chapter 3

The first day of school was pretty uneventful for Natasha and Bucky. For them, it felt just like old times, when they could hangout a lot of times. They have Steve for a couple of classes and so far, he's stayed out of their way, except for the frequent glances their way.

That night, Bucky invited Natasha to a small gathering in his new house, thrown by his parents as a celebration of them moving back.

"Nothing big, just us and a couple of my parents' friends. You should tell your parents to come too, my mom can't wait to catch up your mom!" Bucky told her while they were walking back home. His house was just a couple of houses away from Natasha's.

"Yeah, we'll be there," Natasha smiled, stopping in front of her house. She looked at Bucky and gave him a hug, whispering, "I'm so glad you're back," to him, before pulling back and saying goodbye.

Natasha went to her room to prepare for the evening. She has some math homework - being enrolled in an advanced class means _so _much homework - so she finished that first. Once done, she saw that it was 5pm and decided to get ready; they'll leave for Bucky's at 6. She opted to wear her casual baby pink dress and put some light makeup on. She then curled her hair loosely, just to tame it and make it look nicer. Once she was finished, she went downstairs to leave with her parents.

When they got to Bucky's house, they were welcomed by his mom.

"Natasha, darling!" She threw her arms around Natasha and kissed her cheeks. "I'm so glad to see you again! Oh my, look at you, such a beautiful young woman!" She exclaimed, laughing and looking at Natasha. Bucky approached them and offered a warm smile. His mom looked at him and then back at Natasha. "Look how happy he is, it's almost ridiculous! You're all he ever talks about, really." she rolled her eyes and moved to the side so Natasha could enter the living room.

Bucky's face heated up and he smiled sheepishly, looking at his mom and shaking his head. Natasha laughed at him and playfully hit his shoulder. On the corner of her eye, she spotted someone looking at her. To her surprise, it was Steve, standing by the doorway of the kitchen, watching them. She frowned at him and turned away.

The guests gathered in the living room, where Bucky's mom was giving a toast. Bucky, Natasha, and oddly enough, Steve, was towards the back. Steve quietly coughed and Natasha and Bucky turned to look at him.

"So… uh guys, how are you?" Steve asked, nervously, avoiding their eyes. It's kind of funny to see, really, Steve Rogers, the star of their school's football team, fidgeting like a kid who got in trouble. Natasha's lips quirked up at the sight of him.

"Good," she replied, sounding nonchalant. There's just something in her that can't bring herself to really talk to Steve. So she doesn't.

Bucky muttered "same" after hearing Natasha's answer. He knows his best friend has changed and not like what he used to be when they were kids. He also doesn't feel like talking to Steve so he just leaves him alone.

Steve inwardly flinched at their answers and the mood they gave him. He knows he should be upset that his childhood friends are basically ignoring him, but he just can't bring himself to be mad at them. He suppose there isn't really much reason as to why they should entertain him, after all, it was _him _who kind of turned his back. Still, the thought of the three of them being all happy together does sound good. He knows that the two might still have something against Tony, maybe not as much for Bucky, but Natasha is another story.

When they were ready to eat, Bucky led Natasha to the dining room and put his hand on her back while they were walking. Neither of them seemed to mind and the action felt so natural for both. They ate dinner at the patio tables, and talked about their old memories.

"Hey Bucky, Natasha," Bucky's mom approached them. "Son, why don't you go give Natasha a tour of the house after you guys finish eating? And you guys could invite Steve too, if you want." she asked. Bucky gave her a look but just nodded and she walked away to talk to the other guests.

Steve heard his name and his head perk up. He looked up and met Bucky's eyes. He saw Natasha and Bucky getting up and discarding their plates and he trailed behind them, making sure to keep some distance as to not make it look obvious. After a little while, he lost them because he was called by his mom to talk to some of her friends. He wandered off to the back to see Bucky and Natasha walking around the gardens.

After showing Natasha the whole house, Bucky made sure to keep the garden as their last stop. He likes it there and knows how much Natasha loves flowers and nature so he's sure she'll enjoy it. And he was right, her eyes were sparkling as they walk around. She was so beautiful, with her red hair flowing through the breeze and the chill air reddening her cheeks.

"I love it here! It's just so beautiful…" she trailed off, touching a flower in front of her.

"I know," Bucky replied softly, gazing at her.

Steve was watching them from the door and he looked down, not knowing why he was so… sad? He knows he shouldn't be sad, he has no right to be. He screwed up all chances of ever being with her in the future and now it's too late to do anything about it.

Natasha and Bucky went back into the house a few minutes later, laughing at something they were talking about. Steve is standing by the living room; it seems like there aren't much guests left, in fact it was just them and their parents as the other neighbors has just left. Steve's mom was talking to Bucky's and Natasha's moms, and he was just waiting for her to finish so they can leave.

When Bucky's mom caught sight of Bucky and Natasha, she clasped her hands together and grinned widely. "Oh there they are! Wow, you guys look like you had a good time!" She said, referring to the way the two are still laughing. "Aren't they cute together! Oh, Victoria, don't you think our children would look so good together?" She gushed, and Natasha's mom agreed with her, laughing and giving Natasha a thumbs up. Steve's mom, Sarah, smiled politely and looked at Steve. She had a feeling her son might _still _like Natasha, but wasn't sure as the two have stopped talking ages ago.

"Mooooom, stop it, you're so embarrassing," Bucky whined, walking to his mother's side.

"Son, I'm just telling the truth!" she flicked his forehead lightly and leaned into him.

"I think we better get going. Thank you for the wonderful dinner, Win," Victoria said, gesturing for Natasha to come to her. "It's getting late and the kids have school tomorrow."

Natasha waved goodbye to Bucky and flashed Steve a quick smile before coming with her parents to go home. Steve gave Bucky a nod and walked out with his mother, and walked out the door.

When Steve got home and into his room, he noticed Natasha's light was still on. Their rooms are adjacent to each other and they used to use this to their advantage when they were kids. Sometimes, Steve would absentmindedly look out his window and think about Natasha is doing, in a _not_ creepy way obviously, but just… how she is. Now, he saw that her lights are still on but it turned off after a few minutes.

Steve got ready for bed after doing some stretching to make sure he won't be sore for the practice and game tomorrow. He jumped on his bed and went to sleep, dreaming of hazy figures with gleaming green eyes and bright red hair.


	4. Chapter 4

The first few weeks of sophomore year was relatively calm for everyone. There wasn't too much work (yet) and Natasha and Bucky get to hangout together afterschool quite frequently. Steve's training is getting more and more intense as the Homecoming game nears, he knows that he has to do his best there to secure his title of being the team captain next year.

In their AP US History, class, Natasha and Steve were forced to sit together. Natasha walked in with Bucky that day, ready to sit together towards the middle of the class. Their teacher, the one who's known to be the strictest at their school, had other plans.

"Everyone stand up, I have a seating chart ready." He said, and started to go around and put them on their assigned seats. "This is just alphabetical order based on your last names and this will be your permanent seating chart throughout the year."

Natasha groaned when it dawned upon her that her seatmate would be none other than Steve. She looked at Bucky, who's seated way up in the front and is looking at her, and pouted. He chuckled and she discreetly gave him the middle finger. Bucky put his tongue out and turned around. She turned to her left where Steve is seated and he was looking at her so she put her head down instead.

It's been five weeks since the school year started and the most conversation she's had with Steve was "can you pass the paper please" with her eyes down, not being able to bring herself to talk directly at him.

"Now, I want all of you to partner up with the person sitting next to you for this mini project. You would also have to turn your desks to face each other." He said, passing the paper out that consists of their project's instruction. Natasha gritted her teeth at the sound of this and lazily stood up, turning her desk to face Steve's, who was doing the same thing. Once settled, she looked towards the front and met Bucky's eye, who gave him a pitiful look.

Steve and Natasha quietly read the instructions together. Steve cleared his throat and Natasha looked at him, and he was taken aback by how serious she looked.

"So uh.. I guess we'd have to make a poster? 'A propaganda poster for anti-slavery during the Civil War,'" he read off the paper and looked up at Natasha and found her reading their book. She didn't say anything for a while, which made Steve a little bit anxious.

"Huh, making posters? I guess this is your job then, since drawing _is _your specialty after all," she said, her lips lifting up and eyes seeming to stare deep into Steve.

Steve was taken aback. He didn't think she'd remember that about him, and their days of drawing together. It'd be nice to reminisce that again, even for just a little while.

"Of course, I'm not going to let you do this all alone," Natasha continued, setting the paper she's holding down. "I'll make up the slogan or something, since you suck at words." She smirked and stood up to get the poster paper their teacher told them to get.

Steve leaned back on his chair and stared after her. She's such a mystery; all these years he thought that she forgot everything about him and their childhood. It turns out there are just some things that can't be forgotten. He smiled at thought of them drawing when they were kids; Steve painting endless doodles on Natasha's notebooks and stuff, and her giggling when he tries to draw on her hands.

"Hey," Bucky greeted Natasha when she stood next to him to get their papers.

"Hey yourself," Natasha replied grumpily and placed her arms over his shoulders and leaned over them, looking so _tired _. "You're so _happy _and I'm stuck with _him _," she whined.

Bucky laughed and poked her side, which made Natasha jolt up and giggle, hitting his arm in fake annoyance, a gesture she would always do that he's really fond of. "It's gonna be okay, Tasha, it's just one project, you'll survive." She gave him another longing look and took her paper, walking back to her seat.

She carefully laid the paper down on their desks and sat down to her seat. She looked at Steve and smiled, "come on, let's do your magic." Steve sat up and took the markers that was placed on their desk.

"What should I write?" He asked, waiting for Natasha to give her suggestions. She is right about that, he can draw the most beautiful paintings, but his brain trips his words over. Natasha dictated their slogan and Steve wrote it beautifully, his script looking like it's been done by a computer.

"Nice," Natasha muttered as he was writing. She got to admit, his skills only got better. "Okay now we have to add some drawings around it." Steve took some more other markers and started drawing right away. She smiled, watching him at work like this is so different from how he plays on the field. He looks more… relaxed and in his zone.

"Hey Nat," Steve started, casually while still focused on his drawing, "do you remember that one time when we were drawing on the ground with chalk and we didn't notice that my drawings were getting smudged and erased because we were stepping on it while drawing?" He asked, chuckling and shaking his head fondly.

Natasha actually laughed and it sounded like music to his ears. "Yeah, it was pretty funny. The whole thing was just a blur of colors and our arms had chalk on them," she recalled and grinned. Steve felt pretty proud of himself for this; this is their first actual conversation in what seemed like forever - he missed talking to her.

"Um… do you still have that portrait of you that I drew?" He asked softly, smile bright and gazing at her.

"Yeah, it's sti-" Natasha caught herself and stopped talking. No, she shouldn't do this. She can't let herself go back to her past with Steve, it's just too much too fast. "Just finish our drawing," she just resorted to tell Steve, a bit coldly, and she felt bad about the way he flinched and looked like a kicked puppy.

Steve has got to admit, it did sting, her just turning an abrupt 180 degrees at him. However, he can't help but to smile at what she let on. So she does still have it! Then there must still be that part of her that is still friends with him and he hopes that he can unleash that, so that the three of them can all be back together again.

That night, when Natasha was all done with her homework and ready to sleep, she laid down on her bed and hit her head with her hands. _Stupid, stupid, stupid _, she chanted repeatedly. How could she tell Steve that? The last thing she wants him to know is that she kept a part of him. She stood up and took the drawing, which is pinned on her little bulletin board, neatly folded it, and placed it on a box of her old stuff underneath her bed.

She plans on just leaving it there forever until she gets the courage to throw all of them out; her old stuff from elementary and middle school: with the majority of it coming from Steve. It's all useless and nothing to her anyways.

( _Or so she thinks.)_


	5. Chapter 5

The Homecoming game is here. Everyone at school is so riled up about it, they've lost five years in a row and they need to change that streak. Steve is beating himself up in practice, staying longer and longer, just to make sure he is in his absolute perfect state during the game. It's either him or Thor for the captain's title next year, and even though Thor is one of his closest pals, he _needs _that place.

Natasha wasn't at all interested going to the game nor the dance because she hates the school and its football team, so what's the point? But Bucky has been pleading her because he wants to experience that and get to know the school more. Pepper and Maria are also going because well, of the football team guys. Natasha has always suspected that Pepper has a thing with Tony but she doesn't really put much thought into it because she trusts Pepper and knows that _if _they do have a thing, Pepper would have Tony under her control; she's just amazing like that. Also, Sam has been eyeing Maria during homeroom and she _totally _likes it. So she figured she might as well go to the game and the dance, as to Bucky's wishes.

The game was a Friday night and the dance is the following day. The whole school was absolutely loud that Friday, with everyone wearing their school colors, green and yellow, everywhere. Natasha looked at the cheerleaders and their painted faces and cringed, the memories of last year resurfacing. She suddenly had the urge to either throw up or cry - whichever, because she was so furious and a wave of emotions went through her. Nevertheless, she calmed herself down and pushed her thoughts away.

That night, they went out to eat, her, Bucky, Pepper, and Maria, before going to the game. They stopped by Taco Bell, where apparently most of the students are at, since there's still plenty of time before the game.

"Wow, Tasha, I'm surprised you're going. I really thought last year was your last football game ever," Maria casually commented before biting into a taco. Pepper glared at her and Natasha shot her a look.

"Why?" Bucky asked, looking between the three and eyes furrowed in confusion.

"Nothing," Natasha said through gritted teeth. "Just some complications, is all," she said, dismissively, and the subject was effectively dropped. Bucky kept looking at her though, as if he knows something is bothering her. Natasha noticed this and tried to hide all negative as much as possible, keeping a passive and mostly happy face.

They finished their food and went to the stadium. There's 30 minutes left before the game starts to it is a little busy, but they still got good seats on one of the middle rows. Pepper and Maria left them alone to sit almost next to the cheerleaders up front, to cheer on their boys, no doubt. Natasha rolled her eyes and just sat next to Bucky and avoided any glances or looks towards and from the cheerleaders.

The game has started and everyone rose to their feet. Their school anthem was played the marching band and everyone was cheering; it was almost deafening. They all have cheers of their own and everyone went even _crazier _when the football team started marching in. Everyone settled down for a few moments while their principal gave a speech and some other ceremonies took place. Then the hype went back up as the football teams ran to the middle of the field and went into position.

At this time, Natasha just sat back down after Bucky did watched the game. She wasn't too interested, but since she's here, she might as well have fun. It took her a while to identify the players, their helmets can really conceal their faces, and once she settled on Steve, her eyes would always unconsciously follow him. She could tell he's nervous with the way he's very tense and serious, almost like a machine made to play football.

The second half just started and the school is leading by one touchdown. Steve ran back to the team after getting a small drink of water and held his helmet on his arms. He listened intently to the captain as to what their play is. Everyone is determined to win, but Steve is even more intent on being one of the reasons of that win.

"Hey Rogers, I see your _girlfriend _is here with Barney," Tony teased while approaching him. Steve shot him a glare.

"Shut up, Stark. She's not my girlfriend, stop calling her that. And can you just please leave them alone already? They aren't even doing anything to you." he scolded Tony, clearly annoyed. He just doesn't get why Natasha has to be the butt of all the jokes, of everything horrible in high school. She doesn't deserve it; she never fights back to what they throw at her.

The second half started on a good note. They are actually leading, and by the fourth quarter, it was obvious that they would win. Natasha yawned and leaned her head onto Bucky's shoulder, blinking sleepily. It was close to 10 o'clock, which is her usual bedtime on Fridays.

"Aw, is Nat sleepy now?" Bucky asked playfully, in a kind of baby voice. He draped his jacket over her and put his arm around her to make her more comfortable. Natasha smiled and shook her head.

"Not really… just tired. It's getting late." She yawned again and Bucky laughed. "I'm sure we're gonna win though…" she trailed off, her eyes heavy.

"Yeah, do you want to go now? Or finish the game? If we do win, this will be another 30 minutes, with all the pictures and stuff." He told her, looking down at her trying to fight sleep.

"I'll just take a nap right here and… wake… me up.. . when it's over," she mumbled.

"Sure thing, just don't drool on me," Bucky joked. She merely nodded and dozed off.

They ended up winning, with Steve scoring the final touchdown. Everyone erupted in cheers and screams, which to Bucky's surprise, didn't faze Natasha at all. He tried to wake her up but she wouldn't budge so he chuckled and waited for the crowd to lessen before they leave. He found Maria and Pepper who already made their way down to the players and the rest of the school to congratulate them. Maria looked for him and he waved at her, pointing to Natasha who's still pretty sound asleep. Maria just gave him a "go" signal, which means that she and Pepper would probably be off to some party that night. He gave her a thumbs up.

Steve noticed this and followed Maria's line of vision. He saw Natasha sleeping on Bucky's shoulder and something about it made him so mad. He felt his jaw tighten and his fingers clench, but he just doesn't quite know why he's feeling like that. He knows he should celebrate, dammit, he's the next football captain. So he turned around and put a big smile on his face, even though his heart feels heavy and something is just tugging at his brain and bothering him.

When everyone settled down and most of the people left, Bucky tried to nudge Natasha awake again. It didn't work so he shook his head. "This girl can sleep like she's in a coma, geez," he muttered. He moved around and scooped down, opting to just carry Natasha bridal-style, if he ever wants to leave. Because it looks like Natasha would sleep here all night if given the chance. She merely mumbled something incoherent as he lifted her off, her arm dangling over his shoulder on his back.

Bucky chuckled at the sight of her and moved his jacket so it's covering her. She shuffled on his arms as he was walking, burying her face into his neck unknowingly and the thought of it made him smile.

As he was walking out, he passed by Steve by the stadium entrance.

"What happened to her?" he asked, his voice sounding urgent, a bit worried, and accusatory… ? Bucky narrowed his eyes at him.

"Your game was so boring, she fell asleep," Bucky deadpanned, his voice laced with sarcasm. Steve actually looked taken aback by that answer at first, but he rolled his eyes and walked away, clenching his fists.

Bucky caught sight of Natasha's mom's car and walked towards her. Victoria went out of the car, looking shocked and approached Bucky.

"Is she okay?" She asked, a bit frantically. She started to shake Natasha awake.

"Don't worry, she just fell asleep. She must have knocked out pretty bad, I couldn't wake her up." Bucky said, a bit confused as well.

"Oh, that's usual for her. Come on, bring her in the back, your arms might be getting tired."

"It's okay, she's very light," Bucky laughed and laid Natasha down the backseat after her mom opened the door. He got in on the front seat and they drove away.

Before they reached Bucky's house, Natasha stirred. Bucky looked back at her and chuckled; she looks really confused.

"Hey Tasha, good nap?" He teased.

"Why are we here? What happened to the game?" She asked, sitting up and blinking.

"The game ended hun, Bucky carried you out." Her mom answered, sounding amused.

"Ugh, that is _so _embarrassing!" She protested and shot Bucky an accusatory look. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"I did. A lot of times. You didn't even budge." He looked out the window and noticed they were at his house. "Bye Nat, see you tomorrow at 5!" He said and jumped out, thanking her mom and waving at them.

Natasha stayed quiet throughout the rest of the way home. She looked at her mom and smiled, running up to her room and getting ready to sleep. Except she feels more awake because of her nap so she decided to just do some homework. She took her phone out and texted Bucky.

"Hey thanks for tonight :)"

"Anytime, Nat" he replied in less than a minute; he must still be up and on his phone then.

After finishing her math homework, she went to her closet to pick out a dress to wear for the Homecoming dance. She chose her simple black dress, that yes, she got to admit, shows a bit too much skin, but it wasn't _too _bad. It has spaghetti straps and its length was just above her knees, but she figured it would be okay, some girls wear way less. She opted to just wear flats because standing for a long time in heels is something she's not very fond of. After arranging them neatly, she went to sleep.

The following day was relatively calm for her. She got up and did her chores, homework, hung out with her mom, and by the time she was done with everything she needs to do, she have just enough time to prepare for the dance. It's a casual thing so Natasha didn't really worry about putting on too much makeup. She just applied some light foundation and eyeliner, and lipstick that matches her dress. At exactly 5pm, their doorbell rang and Natasha ran down the stairs to meet Bucky.

"Wow, Tasha, you look beautiful," he said, looking sincere and it made Natasha blush.

"You clean up well too," she told him. Bucky is wearing a dark blue button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up with his jacket was folded on his arms. His hair was also styled up neatly. He looked like he came right out of a fashion magazine.

Natasha's mom and dad fussed over the two of them and her mom got the camera, and took what felt like a million photos. After their mini photoshoot, Victoria drove the two to the Chipotle near their school, where they would meet and eat with their friends and just walk to school afterwards.

"Have fun kids!" Victoria waved at them after dropping them off, giggling and winking at Natasha, who just rolled her eyes and motioned for her to drive off.

When they met Pepper and Maria inside, there was someone with them who shocked Natasha. "Sam?" She asked when she approached them confusion written all over her face. She looked at her friends for answers and Maria blushed.

"I uh… - uh, Sam is with… uh with me.." she stammered, her face red and eyes not meeting Natasha's.

"Hey Natasha, I come in peace," Sam said, no doubt to lighten to mood. "Please, I'm not like the other guys, I just really want to hangout with Maria here. But I mean if you're uncomfortable, I could just meet up with her later…." he finished, looking at her. And he looks like he means it too. Come to think of it, Sam was the only player who never showed some kind of malice towards her. Also, she can tell that Maria is smitten at him, with the way she looks at him longingly and her eyes are pleading.

"Yeah, sure. I mean, we'd like to have you on board." She answered him and smiled. At that moment, she knew it was worth whatever risk because the smile Maria gave her was so bright and happy.

Pepper pouted. "I didn't know you guys would bring dates, I should have brought one too." At this, Bucky's ears turned red and Natasha coughed. Pepper shot them a look and laughed. "Chill, guys, I know you're not each other's date. Everyone just has a partner."

Natasha hooked her arm with Pepper's. "Aw, don't worry Peps, I'm here. Bucky can be the loner," she said jokingly and sticking her tongue out at him, in which he reciprocated.

They got to their table and everyone talked all throughout dinner. They actually enjoyed Sam's company, he's a very nice guy to hangout with. He wasn't awkward at all; he answered all their questions about him, and didn't mind all the jokes and teasings. He apparently _is _different from the rest of the guys. Once they all finished eating, they walked back to school and arrived just in time as they were letting people in the gym.

It was absolutely loud inside. There's music blasting from speakers that are probably bigger than Natasha and it sounds like it's getting louder by the second, with each beat. The host, their student body president, is screaming something on the microphone. Natasha can't quite make it out but she heard the words "congratulations" and "won" and knows he's talking about the football game. She turned around and found Maria, Sam, and Pepper already in the middle of the dance floor. However, she and Bucky decided to walk around first instead of delving into dancing right away.

"You want some drinks?" Bucky had to shout for her to hear him, and she nodded, so they both walked towards where the snacks and drinks are and got some punch. After a while of exploring the place (the gym was so different, it didn't even look like a gym anymore), they got back to the dance floor and started to dance. Natasha was awkward about it at first, but she didn't care anymore and decided to lose herself to dancing, just like she's always done.

Bucky stared at her in awe, eyes never leaving her. Although she is dancing randomly to a random beat and song, she was still so graceful. Her moves are so fluid and precise that it looks like everything in her is attuned to dancing. From the corner of his eye, he spots Steve also eyeing Natasha and their gazes meet. He held onto Steve's stare until Steve turned around and walked away.

" _Shit, Bucky caught me," _was the thought running in Steve's mind as he moves away from the dance floor to cool off. It's been a while since he has seen Natasha dance, but he still is mesmerized by it. It just pisses him off that it's Bucky that's there with her not _him. _He feels like it should be him because _he _was the one who would always support Natasha and her dancing. But for now, he can only watch from afar.

"Ha, Rogers. Did you see Romanoff? Little Red must think she's some kind of dancing queen or something. Someone should record that or something," Stark said, approaching him, with his little posse right behind him. There were also some cheerleaders with the guys and Steve rolled his eyes at them.

"Leave her alone Stark, I already told you to." He said, his voice clear with warning.

"Why do you care so much? It's not like you're the guy she's dancing with," Tony snapped, glaring at Steve and bumped into his shoulder as he walked away.

After dancing for a while, Natasha slowed down and told Bucky she's going to get some drinks. He nodded and she went, Bucky stayed there just dancing by himself and some of their classmates. As Natasha approached the drinks table, a bunch of cheerleaders were standing there. She was going to back away, but it's not worth it because they already saw her and she was really thirsty.

"Oh look who apparently still has the face to show up to school events," their team captain, Sharon Carter, said out loud, her voice taunting and fakingly sweet. She approached Natasha as she was getting her drink, just like a predator would to its prey. Natasha didn't have the energy to argue so she just continued to reach for the cup and get some punch. The faster she gets out of there, the better.

"Aw, Natasha doesn't want to talk! I thought we were _friends, _" Sharon continued, watching as Natasha gets some punch. She looks at her other cheerleader friends behind her and smirked. Then, it what seemed like a split second, Sharon "reached" for a cup on Natasha's side, but it was really just to knock Natasha's cup out of her hands, its contents spilling on her chest and dress. "At least it's not paint," Sharon all but sneered at her. The girls laughed and quickly walked out, leaving Natasha covered in punch.

Natasha was shocked, that she wasn't sure as to what her initial reaction was. She looked around to see if anyone noticed, and it looks like only a few and they probably think she's just a klutz who spilled a drink on herself. Her eyes were watery but she decided to stay calm. She looked for napkins and was going to wipe herself down when Bucky approached her.

"Natasha, my gosh, what happened to you? Are you okay?" He asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I uh, just spilled some punch on me. Silly me," she chuckled faintly and Bucky nodded. But one look at him and Natasha knows he didn't fully buy it, but he just doesn't want to press. He handed her more napkins and threw away the ones she used, waiting by her side as she continue to dry her dress.

From afar, Steve saw what happened to Natasha. He didn't see who did it, but he knows it's done deliberately. He wanted to run to her, to make sure she's okay and to reassure her that everything will be alright. But he knows he can't. She has Bucky now, and not him, and she will most likely not even acknowledge him. So Steve just did what he does best: stop this from happening again using his own little ways.

He walked all over to find Stark and the other boys. "Tony, we need to talk." He called out, pointing a finger at him.

"Then talk, Rogers. You know we don't keep secrets from the team." he responded nonchalantly, barely looking up from his phone.

"Didn't I make it clear to leave Natasha alone? Do you just really have to antagonize her and make every minute of her life miserable? What did she ever do to you?" Steve angrily let out, his chest pounding with anger.

Tony merely raised an eyebrow at him. "What did I do again?" he asked, and Steve blinked, Tony actually does look confused.

"Have some girls throw drinks at her?" Steve answered, more of a question than a statement.

"Wow Rogers, I'm hurt. You really think I'd stoop that low? Look, man, I may be an asshole but I do still respect you. You said to leave her alone, so I did. I made jokes, yes, but I haven't done anything to her in person, or have someone do it for me, this last few weeks. I also don't want to get in Barnes' way, they look pretty close," he said, this time looking at Steve. The other guys nodded in approval too, as if to vouch for Tony.

"I'm sorry, Tony. I shouldn't have blamed you right away." Steve said, and smiled at him before wandering back to the dance floor, looking for a clue as to who did that to Natasha.

By the time Natasha finished wiping off all the liquid off her, she felt so sticky and cold. She shivered and Bucky noticed this, so he took his jacket off and put it around her. She smiled gratefully at him.

"Do you want to come home? I could call my parents to pick us up," Bucky offered.

"Yes, but can we dance one last time? I haven't danced in so long, I missed it. And look, it's a slow song too!" Natasha said, trying to sound as joyful and pulled Bucky in to dance.

Once the song started, she circled her arms behind Bucky's neck and leaned her head to his chest. Bucky automatically wrapped his arms around her waist and they started dancing slowly like this.

"Hey Buck, thanks for always being here," Natasha whispered, and Bucky hummed, which Natasha felt from the way his chest vibrated. She can't help but to let a few tears escape, and she knows Bucky can tell by the way he's rubbing small circles on her back.

Steve found them like this, and he felt his heart hurt. But, he thinks, if Natasha is happy, then that's all he could ever hope for. He just thought, maybe even wished, that the guy Natasha would be happy with is him.


End file.
